Trees reaching to the sky, Squaxin Park, Olympia, WA USA
What are the trees singing about? Psalm 96, where this bible passage is taken from, is a Psalm of praise to God for his judgement. So the trees are singing for the judgement of God? Sounds sort of strange from a 21st century perspective. This Psalm, written 3,000 years ago by King David, was written with the understanding that God’s judgement would set things right, would bring about justice and ultimately peace. Psalm 96 ascribes that God will “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the people.” The judgement that King David writes about in this Psalm is a setting of things right for all people and all nations.
Christians know that the hard work of setting of things right for humankind, foreshadowed in this Psalm, is accomplished by God’s love, the love of the cross, the love placed on the wood of a tree. It is a mystery. One worth singing about. A mystery worth living out in praise and deed and song.